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Members of the Boise City Council are (back, L-R) council members TJ Thomson, Ben Quintana, Lauren McLean, Scot Ludwig (front, L-R) Council Pro Tem Elaine Clegg, Mayor David H. Bieter and Council President Maryanne Jordan.

The Mayor works full-time, managing the day-to-day operations of the City and providing leadership and policy direction to the City Council. The Mayor chairs all meetings of the City Council, voting only in the case of a tie. The six members of the City Council work part-time, holding budget and policy-setting authority for the city. The Mayor and City Council members are elected at large by popular vote. City Council members are elected to a specific Council seat, but the seats are not determined geographically. City elections are held in odd number years (e.g. 2007, 2009, 2011).

Boise Police Department
News Release

William L. Bones
Chief of Police

Contact: BPD Media Relations Office
570-6180

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, March 16, 2012

BPD Implements New Inventory Procedures Following Discrepancies

Boise, March 15, 2012 - In late
2011, a Boise Police employee who supervises the department's
armory discovered discrepancies in inventory control, specifically
for weapons slated for destruction. The Boise Police Department
immediately began an internal audit which confirmed record keeping
procedures related to weapons marked for destruction had not been
completed. Specifically, of 156 guns slated to be destroyed,
required documentation to confirm destruction was lacking from 18
guns.

A criminal investigation conducted by an
outside agency at the request of Boise Police did not result in
criminal charges. During the investigation, the employee
responsible for armory record keeping resigned. The department is
now reviewing several major changes and improvements to the
record-keeping process in the armory, with the expectation those
changes will be implemented with the hiring of a new armorer later
this spring.

"It was a department supervisor who
found the problem. He and several others have been part of the
process to fix it," Said Deputy Chief of Operations William
Bones.

"Anything that may mean a weapon has not
been handled properly we take very seriously. We've looked and
haven't found any conclusive evidence these guns were not disposed
of as they should have been. But the bottom line is the proper
documentation to show they were destroyed isn't there. I apologize
to citizens for our failure to meet the high standards we expect in
the Boise Police Department. We're completing the investigation and
taking steps to insure it won't happen again," said Deputy Chief
Bones.

What are the weapons affected? The
weapons involved are firearms that were slated for destruction by
prosecutors, no longer needed for evidence and unsafe or otherwise
unsuitable to be sold at auction. Weapons seized by police, if safe
and legal, are often sold at auction per Idaho Code 55-403

How are these weapons destroyed? Once
designated to be destroyed, procedure at the Boise Police
department is the armory employee is responsible for the weapons
destruction, most often done by cutting thru the metal with a
commercial recycling saw.

Who's responsible for the documentation?
Armory employees are responsible for documenting the guns proper
disposal, be it auction or destruction, per Idaho Code 55-403. At
the Boise Police Department that is a part-time employee.

What happened to that employee? During
the internal audit and investigation of armory practices, the
employee resigned. The employee was hired for the part-time
position in November, 2008, and resigned February 14, 2012.

Where are the guns? The BPD continues to
investigate what did or did not happen to the weapons. They may
have indeed been destroyed but lack the proper documentation to
prove their destruction. Thanks to the internal audit,
investigators have the serial numbers of the weapons involved where
serial numbers could be retrieved (six of guns did not have serial
numbers). So far, the BPD investigation has not found any evidence
of the guns or gun parts not having been destroyed.

Investigations: In addition to the
internal BPD audit and subsequent investigation, Boise Police
requested investigators with the Ada County Sheriff's Office
conduct a criminal investigation. That investigation has been
reviewed by Ada County Prosecutors and resulted in no criminal
charges. The criminal investigation was recently completed. The
internal Boise Police investigation and review are being completed
and in the final stages.

Has the department taken steps to insure
better record keeping? Yes. In addition to a personnel change,
several employees using results from the audit and best practice
research are reviewing several new systems for inventory and
record-keeping improvement.

All City of Boise departments, including
Police, are committed to rigorous performance standards and
encourage employees and the public to assist in making our
operations more efficient, cost-effective and accountable. The City
has established mechanisms, including the Office of Internal Audit
and the citizen Ethics Commission, to help ensure that potential
problems are discovered and solutions implemented. The
discrepancies in the Police Armory, and the steps being taken to
correct them, are a further demonstration of that commitment.